Speculative Fiction—an all-encompassing genre created to describe stories of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and other stories that have an element of “What if...” in them. A story in speculative fiction is one that adds an element of the unreal, or asks, what would become of our society if history took a different direction at some important event? Fiction with a little something extra thrown in.—William D. Richards

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Wednesday, December 31, 2014

It’s that time of the month again, time for “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”.

So what is “Indie Speculative Fiction of the Month”? It’s a round-up
of speculative fiction by indie authors newly published this month,
though some November books I missed the last time around snuck in as
well. The books are arranged in alphabetical order by author. So far,
most links only go to Amazon.com, though I may add other retailers for
future editions.

Lucky Two Crows is Portland’s best, and only, Native American Private
Investigator. Hired to solve an attempted murder on the Blackfeet
reservation, Lucky returns to Montana, to the tribe of his birth. With
the help of the mysterious millionaire Clarence Two Moons, and his
beautiful daughter Summer, Lucky must confront the inheritance of
poverty and loss that has cursed his people, and his own terrifying and
history-altering destiny.

In 1876, Grandfather Wolf Eyes looks in to the fires of the Blackfeet
tribe and sees the return of his grandson. As a child, Two Crows was
taken by the Crow Indians, and grew up to serve as a scout in the 7th
Calvary. Foreseeing the Battle of Little Big Horn, he deserts and
returns home to his people, and to his childhood sweetheart White
Feather. As visions of past and future collide, Two Crows must choose
between the Way of War—and the Seventh Path, the Way of Medicine.

Across centuries of violence, two Indian warriors must save their
people from military aggression and corporate greed, as they journey
together in to the fifth dimension.

Look for book two of the Shambala Mysteries, High Pony, in February 2015.

Reggie Foxworth, brilliant bio-chemist, has spent the last fifteen
years working on a top secret project to enhance paranormal brain
function. With success in sight, the project is being cancelled. Knowing
his career and future are about to be terminated and with nothing to
lose, Reggie takes the mind expanding drug himself before they can
destroy it.

Initially, the physical consequences are not evident but as time
passes Reggie finds out just how powerful the mind can be. More like
magic than science, Reggie discovers that he can do impossible things.
These strange powers don’t go unnoticed and soon every government on
Earth is out to steal the secret and eliminate Reggie as a threat,
including his own. They send assassins, turn his friends against him,
alienate his girlfriend, try anything to stop Reggie. How can he escape,
end the attacks and find a way to win back the love of his life?

There are two things about herself that Izzy has always known with
absolute certainty: One, that she was adopted and two, that she has an
affinity for the sea. For from her earliest memories on, the ocean has
always called out to Izzy. But her adoptive parents thwart her attempts
to get closer to the sea at every turn.

When Izzy turns eighteen, she goes in search of her past and her
birth family. It's a quest that will take her to the boardwalk of Ocean
City, New Jersey, and to a mysterious fur coat that might hold all the
answers to Izzy's questions.

This is a fantasy novelette of 8200 words or approximately 27 print pages.

Warning: There are a few rude words in this story, because teenagers sometimes swear.

Despite the rather turbulent year, Liz and her fellow Segennyians
look forward to the future as their rebuilding efforts continue. Still,
whispers and shadows of plots continue to reach her ears, and those that
know their unseen enemy won’t—or can’t—give the needed information to
reveal them. Only one thing is certain: A storm is brewing and now it’s a
matter of being able to stop it.

Even with the threat hanging over her head, Liz refuses to give into
fear. Life goes on, and soon the first true holiday Segennya has
celebrated openly in years is upon them. It is a time to reflect, to
hope, and to make new promises as everyone gathers together once more.
As the land awakens for spring the first rumblings of the storm come.
The old allies are split, as magic gathers in the south near the old
Uranysian capital. Regardless, all of Segennya marches to war; to
hopefully force their enemy finally into the open.

Now the boiling, toxic, lightning-wreathed Atomic Sea has encompassed
every ocean on the planet, and the creatures that live in it have
become mutated and unnatural. The sea’s taint can infect any human who
comes in contact with it or with unprocessed seafood, killing them . . .
or altering them. No one knows why the sea has become this way or what
it portends, only that it’s irrevocably changed the world.

Meanwhile, world war has erupted, and the small country of Ghenisa,
like many others, is tottering on the brink of collapse under the
onslaught of the Empire of Octung. Dr. Francis Avery, a middle-aged
widower, is aboard a military whaling ship far out on the Atomic Sea
when a series of murders onboard propels him down the rabbit-hole of
danger and terror unlike any other.

Soon he becomes aware of a spy on the ship, but that’s just the
beginning. With the help of the grizzled whaler Janx and a mysterious
woman named Layanna, he will embark on an epic quest to save Ghenisa
from Octung and unravel the secrets of the Atomic Sea.

At a Boston school brimming with centuries’ worth of magical secrets,
New England’s buried past rises up to grab the present by the throat.

Fiona Forzese walks the halls of prestigious Mather Academy with a
deep yearning for a more exciting life. Her wish is suddenly granted
when she meets an intriguing new student named Toby Corvin—who just
happens to be a sorcerer. Toby soon introduces Fiona to an astonishing
universe of ancient spells, talking ravens, and sinister bone wardens.

When a deadly army from Toby’s strange world descends upon Boston, he
and Fiona race desperately to stop the slaughter. In the process, they
face unspeakable danger while unearthing New England’s darkest secrets.

Aein always longed to become a member of Lord Arnkell’s army, ever
since she was a child working in the stronghold’s kitchen. When that day
finally comes and she is sent to patrol the border’s swamp with fellow
warrior, Lars, it seems like her dream has come true. But something has
followed her home. When Lord Arnkell’s wedding is interrupted by a
werewolf attack, the dream shifts into a nightmare… and Aein is the only
one awake.

Still grieving her beloved son, Kate O’Connor’s just going through
the motions. She doesn’t care that strangers often shadow her on the
unorthodox courier jobs she does for a friend. She doesn’t even care
what’s in the packages until the day she returns from a special rush job
with no memory of the event. But it must have been pretty wild, because
now there’s a werewolf in her kitchen trying to kill her—and he’s just
the first in line.

Dragged into a supernatural war of succession between the daughters
of the dragon queen, Kate discovers a Sydney she never knew existed,
peopled by all kinds of strange half-human creatures. To have any hope
of surviving she must uncover the explosive secret hidden in her
memory—but first she has to live through the night.

In the bucolic town of Sanctuary, a body is strung up to a tree
outside the local high school. The only thing more shocking than the
crime is its heinous nature: the mysterious victim has been skinned and
drained of all his blood.

Detective Maxim Dwyer knows the murder is a message, but who it’s
from is not so clear. The few clues he has point to his friends, the
Seventh Sons Motorcycle Club. Diego de la Torre is part of that pack
now, but brotherhood comes at a price when blood is spilled. Meanwhile,
Kayda Garnett returns home with a college degree to find her family torn
apart by the same tragedy. Only half-Yavapai, she is considered an
outsider, but finding a peaceful alternative to the violence may finally
win her the respect of the tribe.

Despite best laid plans, California bikers incite a gang war, the FBI
undermines local police, and vigilantes take the fight to the streets.
What starts out as a simple murder may soon run Sanctuary red with the
blood of brothers.

“There is a voice in my head, slithering through my mind like a
serpent. It whispers dark things. Tells me to feed.” -Osiris, Egyptian
Lord of the Underworld.

Were the Egyptian gods fanciful imaginings of primitive people, or
something more? Some believe that they once walked the earth as mortals,
that they warred and loved just as any of their worshippers.

This is their story, the tale of how Isis gained the power of
shaping. How mighty Osiris died and lived again. How they discovered the
fabled First Ark, a structure older than man. It is the tale of us all,
the story that shaped our race from cave dwellers into the people we
are today.

Are these fanciful tales? Or long lost truth wrapped in myth? Only time knows.

The thriving kingdom of Halthas was founded by Wielders and Shapers:
people who can manipulate either energy or matter. Cecily’s noble birth
and strong Wielding ability made her a favorite of the king, until she
and her husband Daro were caught up in the war that saw him deposed.
Although they were hailed as heroes and a new king sits on the throne,
Cecily and Daro chose to leave the politics of the Halthain court for a
peaceful life, far outside the city.

Their quiet retirement is interrupted by an unexpected attack,
leaving Daro captive and Cecily injured after a narrow escape. With no
trail to follow and few clues, Cecily desperately tracks rumors of a
madman who is trying to bend the laws of Wielding magic. The subjects of
his human experiments rarely survive with their sanity, if they survive
at all.

Only their bonded soul assures Cecily that Daro is still alive – but
for how much longer and in what condition, she can’t tell. Her best hope
is to gather old friends, try to repair the bridges she burned when she
left her old life, and muster every resource to find her husband. No
sacrifice is too great to bring Daro back, if his mind isn’t already
gone.

Nineteen-year-old Glynna Balcora’s super power is baking. A young
witch, she’s lived her entire life tucked away in the quaint city of
Spokane, WA with her domineering aunt and sweetheart of a grandmother.
It’s not an ideal situation. Although Glynna loves her grandmother
dearly, and treasures the special times they spend in their magical
greenhouse, Glynna’s aunt keeps her niece on a tight leash using threats
of vague enemies.
Since Glynna graduated from high school a few a months ago, her
aunt’s be-home-before-dark curfew seems more ridiculous every day. It
isn’t doing much for the young witch’s social life, either. With
encouragement from her best friend, Glynna sneaks out one night to go to
a bonfire party at the lake. There she has an unexpected encounter with
Spokane’s most eligible bachelor, Ashton Bass. Glynna’s been crushing
on Ashton since she was five years old. But when they share their first
kiss, thunderstorms and lightning follow… and Glynna’s aunt realizes
it’s time to tell the young witch the truth about who she really is.

Denied his usual array of hi-tech weaponry, agent David Held is sent
to a backwater planet, seeking a royal baby who vanished years earlier.
Now grown up, the heir is threatened by hostile agents hunting the last
claimant to the throne.

In the race to find the missing heir, Held is forced to help another
prince, Jeren, secure the claim to his own throne. Over time, the
destinies of the two heirs become intertwined.

To accomplish his mission, Held faces a deadly enemy with no qualms
about bringing hi-tech warfare to a pre-industrial world. Armed with
only his sword and telepathic ability, he is reminded of advice from his
old weapons master:

I’m Jasmine Huang. Five years ago, I was murdered in Beijing when I
was twenty. I gave birth eight months later. I was haunted by not
knowing who the real killer was and stalked my ex for years, finally
winding up in Vancouver’s Chinatown when I discovered the truth. That
allowed me comfort in leaving the natural world and I was en route to
the Next Place when I heard my daughter Mei-Mei call me back to earth.
She’s all that’s important to me and I will not leave unless she is with
me.

In the first place I look is this old Chinaman ghost. This horny lech
tells me I’m beautiful and wants me to help him. Ugh! I keep looking
for Mei-Mei but find nothing but a fourteen-year-old hooker and her
demon pimp. Surly, obnoxious, evil.

But I need these sick, twisted creatures to help me find Mei-Mei in this dangerous spiritual netherworld. I hate it.

After surviving Thagoth and returning rich to Lucernis, Amra and
Holgren have settled down to a very comfortable, if decidedly unexciting
life — until the night Amra receives an old enemy’s head in a box. A
longstanding debt calls her back home to Bellarius, the scene of many
childhood horrors she would much rather forget about.

But as bad as memories of the past might be, present-day Bellarius is
rapidly becoming worse, for the Eightfold Goddess has not forgotten
about Amra, and another of Her Blades, the Knife that Parts the Night,
has been discovered and threatens to tear the very fabric of reality
apart.

All that stands in the way of utter destruction is one small, scarred thief and her mage companion…

Struck down by a shard of mirror – a literal piece of solid potential
– Agent Ryan makes a wish for her to live, and is left with a corpse
whose soul is slowly finding its way home, one that he must hide at all
costs.
Ryan is under scrutiny for the death of his recruit – an audit that could lead to his execution.

Within the Agency, Curt – who helped initiate the investigation –
sees only life going on without Stef, and Ryan’s apparent lack of care
on subject.

Following immediately from the events of Mirrorfall, wishes have consequences in Require: Cookie, Book #2 – Mirrorheart.

For Jake, a perilous journey of survival will soon turn into a quest for redemption…

A terrible virus has struck and the world has deteriorated into
chaos. And with the infected outnumbering their human counterparts,
chances for survival lessen with each passing day. After running out of
food in his condo, Jake must make his way across the Salt Lake Valley to
reach the safety of the mountains, and he must use his wiles to avoid
the packs of infected roaming the streets. But Jake is haunted by a
devastating personal tragedy, and his journey of survival will soon turn
into a quest for redemption. Just as he’s about to reach the safety of
the mountains, a phone call changes everything. A woman and her child
need help and Jake finally sees his opportunity for redemption. But will
his helping them put them in harm’s way? Jake is being stalked by a
brutal and sadistic alpha (by far the most dangerous of the infected).
And in the end, Jake will have to decide how far he’s willing to go to
keep them safe and earn the redemption he seeks.

Beth Ryder’s dangerously sexy and seemingly all-powerful boss has
disappeared, leaving an increasingly desperate group of Nolanders — and
one inept Second — in charge of policing other-worldly activity across
much of North America. What better time for a legendary monster to
emerge from the Second Emanation and make New York City its hunting
ground? But little does Beth know that dealing with the voracious
Thirsting Ground will pale in comparison to a shocking betrayal that
threatens to destroy her new life among the Nolanders.

Solatium is the second book of the Emanations series. The first book, Nolander, is available at no cost on all platforms.

In the summer of ’92, a young girl named Isabelle disappears into a
vacant building and is never seen again. She becomes another name
alongside many others who have vanished when stepping through the
building’s doors.

Boyd Dwyer knows a thing about missing people. At least he did when
he was a cop, but that was before Morgan died, and before his ‘little
drinking problem’ forced him into an early retirement. Now the only job
he can get is the one no one else wants — protecting a building with a
violent and disturbing history.

It’s not so bad until he starts getting phone calls late at night. It
seems someone really wants to talk to Boyd and confess something awful.

16 year old Eliza Aurelio grapples with her mixed race identity amid
rising racial tensions on her little island. For their safety, Eliza’s
grandfather sends her and her grandmother to a quiet town in Southwest
England to stay with a relative. But this otherwise quiet town has been
turned upside down by people mysteriously disappearing. Eliza eventually
encounters a magical but dangerous realm accessible through a doorway
in the town, and sees its connection to the abductions. She intends to
put things right, only wanting to protect her family. To do this, she
must return a stolen key to lock the open doorway. But Eliza has to
overcome her own inner conflicts if she is to stand any chance of being
successful and leaving the other realm alive.

Suspenseful and enchanting, The Return of the Key explores the power of love, sacrifice and the journey to self acceptance.

The hunt for Morray continues . . . Book three picks up in the year
2345, seventeen years after the disappearance of former city center
leader, Chief Morray. There has been peace among the West Coast regions
for years, but in Ojai Village there is very little peace between Ava
and her sixteen-year old daughter Grace. Both have different ideas about
what it takes to maintain independence. Ava spends hours inside the
mainframe searching for Morray, while Grace focuses on the art of
combat. Grace’s dream is to get accepted into the Silicon Valley Academy
and become a soldier like her father General Joseph Strader. During
tryouts for the academy Grace comes across some digital footprints
inside the mainframe, convincing Ava that Morray has returned to seek
revenge and reclaim control. When Ava goes missing, Grace assembles a
motley crew of cadets to go on a search and rescue mission up north in
Seattle to save her mother and take down Morray. Grace soon learns that
independence comes at a price.

Grace Rinehart has known for most of her life that she isn’t quite
like anyone else — her father was a human/alien hybrid, and although she
might look like a normal young woman, she still carries the alien trace
within her blood. Even so, she’s done her best to ignore her
not-of-this-world heritage…until she returns home to Sedona and loses
her heart to the one man she knows she shouldn’t love. But as more
secrets are revealed, and she finds herself doubting the choices of her
heart, she finds herself caught between the expectations of those around
her and the deepest truths within her soul. In the end, she’ll discover
that the stakes are even higher than she imagined… not just for her and
the man she loves, but the entire world.

Dorothy Mayling thought her worst problem was the long-standing
family feud over her sister’s choice of husband. Or her sons’ grades.
Then the rumors started – bird flu in Seattle, SARS in Washington State?
The truth is a hideous, terrible disease, one that slowly steals away
the ability to speak and reason, turning people into nothing more than
zombies. Worst of all, it was meant to be a weapon. Can Dorothy hold her
family together as the world ends around them and people fall, one by
one, to the silent plague?

“There was no way out of Centralia. The fibreglass walls and ceiling
had been built with containment in mind. None of the Founders had wanted
to risk an encounter with the Beasts, nor had they wanted us to be able
to damage the environment, or the environment to be able to damage us.
Nobody wanted a repeat of what had happened on Earth. Of course, nobody
had ever wanted to leave. Until now.”

When a water shortage threatens the existence of the last humans in
the known universe, Katchia and her friend Frost must go out in search
of a new water supply. Nobody has left the settlement since the Founders
first settled on Mars. The go in search of water, but instead find a
dark secret that will change their world forever.

There’s a conspiracy in the Goldfields of Western Australia, and the
money men of London don’t like it. Dirigible pilot Rebecca Jones likes
it even less. She has a messenger service to run, justice to pursue in a
lawless land, and she can do without Special Agent to the Crown, Nathan
Burton, hijacking her dirigible—and her heart—and disrupting her
carefully laid plans. The result is adventure, romance and explosions.

Darna shouldn’t have been born – priestesses aren’t supposed to have
babies – and she most certainly shouldn’t see dragons. After all, no one
else does, except in Anamat, or so the minstrels say.

She sets out for the city of Anamat. Along the way, she meets Myril,
an older girl with frequent premonitions and an eerie sense of hearing.

Then there’s Iola, who is so dragon-struck that she actually wants to
be a priestess. She’s blind to the corruption in the temples.

Thorat is Iola’s champion. He sees dragons as much as the girls do, but unlike them he blends easily in to a crowd.

Apart from these four, the city seems to be nearly as dragon-blind as
the provinces. Darna scavenges for scraps, but apprenticeships cost
more than she’s likely to earn. When she’s offered a sack of gold beads
for a small bit of thieving, she takes her chances… and ends up angering
the dragon herself.

Seven years after his father’s death, Planetary Link Trainee
Technician Henry Malone repairs the neural implant of a stranger, and
finds her mind isn’t like any other. She’s in possession of illegal
memories, unauthorized knowledge, and a message: speak to me later, and
tell no one.

He’s thrust into the center of a growing conflict between the
domineering Planetary Link Corporation and Sever, a violent organization
devoted to Plink’s total destruction.

All the while, Henry begins hearing the voice of his dead father.

Using their implants, Planetary Link sees what you see, hears what you hear, and knows everything you know.

Celia Quinn’s business lies in ruins at the hands of Jason West, the
latest in a long line of scoundrels. As she seeks to restore her
family’s livelihood, Celia stumbles upon lore about the local Witching
Well, whose water is said to cause hysteria and psychosis. When a
mysterious stranger slips Celia water from the well into her drink,
she’s transported to Regency England. Her timeless adventure spans miles
and centuries from modern-day New England to Merlin’s Cave in Cornwall,
England. Only Jason West can save her.

But Celia and Jason must tread carefully, as what happens in the past
can reverberate through the ages. Their lives, hearts and futures are
caught in time’s slippery hands.

Over 3 years ago, the old Earth began to die. Technology started to
break down. Electricity failed. Machines stopped working. Planes, trains
and cars became useless hunks of metal. And then the dragons came. On
the Night of Burning, the world’s great cities were reduced to slag and
rubble by dragon fire. Civilization, as we knew it. ceased to be.

But before the end came, there were the Changlings. A few humans,
children and adults alike, began to mutate into…something else. Ears
became pointed, fingers fused or elongated. Their old languages were
lost to them and they began to babble in unknown tongues. Perhaps one in
a hundred thousand Changed. Simon O’Toole was one of them.

Back then, he was a large middle-aged man. Now he’s a skinny, awkward
teenager, Simon has lost everything; his family, his friends, the world
that he knew. But he has gained something as well. Through hints in
dreams, he has learned magical runes that can summon elementals. He can
cast fireballs and lightning. In short, Simon has become a wizard.

Slowly, carefully, he is learning to use this new power. It will take years to master his magic. Years that Simon may not have.

The dragons are still on the hunt. They search for survivors of the
human race, and when they have been exterminated, the dragons will turn
on the last remnants of humanity: the Changlings themselves.

Kyros Vindex, treasure-hunter, has a problem. He’s carrying a torch
for a fellow pirate with the sexual awareness of a teaspoon. Rumors say
the man has killed hundreds. He’s determined to knock some sense into
the work-a-holic that captains the Midnight Sun, but damned if he knows
how.

Eric Deumont has more pressing concerns than the treasure-obsessed
Kyros. There’s a creature inked into his chest that no witch in the seas
will lay hands on for all the gold in the world. He knows it gives the
Midnight Sun a cursed reputation and that doesn’t make living any
easier. He has heard stories of spirits trapped for lifetimes inside
spelled puzzle jars. Eric tracked down three of the pieces for such a
jar with a lead number four. The fifth is still out there.

Even then, the spirit of vengeance that lives in Eric’s skin has no
intention of giving up such easy access to the mortal realm. It craves
blood and the light of the moon allows it to wreak unchecked havoc.
Cursed is an insult. This is madness.

Fred is a goth. A real goth, descended from a real Visigoth tribe,
not one of those mopey kids in black eyeliner she ignores at school. But
when her talents as a witch and her fetish for stupid boys with spikey
hair get out of hand, Fred finds herself on the run from her very own
lovesick zombie boy band.

Nine weird tales of lost gods, demonic dating
sites and dusty antique shops all in one tiny book. A minuscule collection of teeny weeny stories by Damien Walter.

In the world of Altadas, there are no more human births. The Regime
is replacing the unborn with demons, while the Resistance is trying to
destroy a drug called Hope that the demons need to survive.

Between these two warring factions lies Jacob, a man who profits from
smuggling contraceptive amulets into the city of Blackout. He cares
little about the Great Iron War, but a chance capture, and an even more
accidental rescue, embroils him in a plot to starve the Regime from
power.

When Hope is an enemy, Jacob finds it harder than he thought to
remain indifferent. When the Resistance opts to field its experimental
landship, the Hopebreaker, the world may find that one victory does not
win a war.

It’s been over twenty years since Elgin and Singhal and their
crowdsourced sunshield saved the world from runaway climate change. Or
at least bought the world a little time.

Now, in a bold new world where the people have started to gain power
over the old elites, and the first uncertain steps are being taken to
move offplanet, there are alliances at work to take control of the
sunshield — even if that means destroying it — and to reverse the
progress that has been made.

I decided to hold a huge cross-promotion with a lot of other authors of SF/F to celebrate the next book in the Ambassador series. ... I've reduced book 1 to 99c (will remain so until a bit after book 3 comes out) and I've added a whole bunch of other books that are also 99c cents by other authors. ...

In the next few days, a number of these authors will appear on this blog to tell their stories about their books and themselves.

Monday, December 29, 2014

At a Boston school brimming with centuries' worth of magical secrets, New England’s buried past rises up to grab the present by the throat.

Fiona Forzese walks the halls of prestigious Mather Academy with a deep yearning for a more exciting life. Her wish is suddenly granted when she meets an intriguing new student named Toby Corvin—who just happens to be a sorcerer. Toby soon introduces Fiona to an astonishing universe of ancient spells, talking ravens, and sinister bone wardens.

When a deadly army from Toby’s strange world descends upon Boston, he and Fiona race desperately to stop the slaughter. In the process, they face unspeakable danger while unearthing New England's darkest secrets.

Excerpt:

“Picture a place that looks like Boston.” He looked into Fiona’s eyes, gesturing with his paper cup. “There’s a Common like this. Around it are crowded alleys that wind below people’s windows. At night, the streets are lit with floating lanterns of foxfire.”

They walked west through the darkening Common, past the snow-covered tennis courts. Fiona peered at him over her hot chocolate. This was an unexpected turn.

“In this place, ordinary people can’t read, so there are painted signs on the taverns in blue and red and gold paint. There are symbols of ravens and stars, king’s-heads and fire-breathing dragons.”

“Why can’t people read?”

“Well, the wealthy can read. In Maremount, the aristocrats practice magic, but for everyone else it’s illegal. There are a few secret covens for poor people, but the King wants them disbanded.”

Fiona wrinkled her forehead, glancing over at him. “This place is called Maremount?”

“Right. It’s just imaginary.”

They now stood at the edge of the park, as cars inched forward in gridlock along the icy street.

“You see these streets?” He looked down at the slushy pavement. “They were filled in with land from the nearby hills. In my story, these streets remain a bay, full of cod and lobster. There’s water all around. There are crabs here, and sometimes at night there are flickering sparks on the waves. Those are the Nippexies—the water spirits. They’re still here underground, I think.”

“Maremount sounds lovely.”

He kicked at an icy chunk of snow. “Well, except for the civil war.”

“Civil war?”

He adjusted her scarf on his neck. “Just part of the story.”

“Boston’s not as beautiful as the place in your story, but there’s the garden in the summer, and you can see fish in the aquarium.”

“The aquarium?”

“They’ve got a tank that you can walk under. You can see the fish from underneath. It’s beautiful.”

“That sounds nice.”

“We should go with Mariana. She knows all the fish names.”

“We should get back now, right?” He gazed at her with a hint of a smile. “I guess my story didn’t really go anywhere. But it was nice to talk to someone.”

“I guess we should get back.” By now she could picture the sparkling bay he’d described and was loath to leave it for her dreary room.

Toby started to walk toward the school, and she followed, glancing back at where the water spirits might be. She usually hated this time of year, when the trees looked like skeletons and her feet were always cold. But their stroll after curfew had refreshed her, and Celia’s proposed adventure started to seem more appealing.

C.N. Crawford is not one person but two. Christine (C) grew up in the historic town of Lexington, and has a lifelong interest in New England folklore--with a particular fondness for creepy old cemeteries. Nick (N) spent his childhood reading fantasy and science fiction during Vermont's long winters.

Together they work to incorporate real historical events and figures into contemporary urban fantasy novels.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

My main character in Paladin's Odyssey scoffed over the absurdity of tired doomsday clichés in apocalyptic tales of
our era. The inspiration behind this came from the abundance of
post-apocalyptic movies that have come out over the years. While they range
from compelling to just plain silly, there's no denying that we have a curious
interest in the demise of our species.

But what are the most popular apocalyptic
events in movies these days? I recently came across a list of the top
post-apocalyptic films (on IMDB.com) and thought it would be interesting to
identify the apocalyptic event in each movie to see what might be keeping us up
at night.

Note: My list is a consolidation of the
top IMDB picks, as some franchise sequels/prequels showed up more than once. In
these cases, I noted that all sequels/prequels movies are included.

1. The Hunger Games (includes
sequels/prequels). It's never said what
happened to civilization before the establishment of Panem.

2. The Maze Runner (2014): Much like “Hunger Games”, the apocalyptic event is undefined.

3. The Planet of the Apes (includes
sequels/prequels): “You maniacs! You blew it
up!” Who can forget Charlton Heston's meltdown at the end of the 1968 classic?

4. X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014): Machines built to exterminate mutants turn against everyone.

5. Snowpiercer (2013): A failed climate-change experiment kills all life on the planet.

6. The Terminator (includes
sequels/prequels): “I'll be back.” Skynet takes
over and seeks to exterminate the human race.

7. Mad Max (includes sequels/prequels):
Civilization breaks down leading to war over
dwindling resources.

8. The Matrix (includes
sequels/prequels): Machines enslave the human
race and use them as a power source.

11. Zombieland (2009): Zombies, Twinkies shortage, and the death of Bill Murray!

12. The Rover (2014): A global economic collapse.

13. I Am Legend (2007): A cure for cancer inadvertently creates a deadly plague, while
turning a small percentage into monsters.

14. Warm Bodies (2013): Zombies, love, and a cure.

15. Total Recall (2012): Earth is almost uninhabitable (not sure why, and it's not the same
premise of the 1990 original).

My observations:

Overall, I can think of several other great
movies that should have ranked higher on this list, but it's just a snapshot of
what's popular today among IMDB voters.

It's interesting to note that the
underlying apocalyptic event in the top two movies is undefined. These stories
instead focus on their present circumstances. It shows that a strong, engaging
story doesn’t need to explain the apocalyptic event behind the narrative.

The most reoccurring apocalyptic event is
machines turning on humans. Hey, I've always been suspicious of Skynet myself.
Did I just hear a laugh coming from my laptop speakers?

I found it interesting that Zombie-themed
movies didn't rank higher the list. Perhaps this is a sign that the zombie
sub-genre is showing fatigue?

It surprised me that the less popular
apocalyptic events are a plague and economic collapse (which doesn’t bode well
for Paladin's Odyssey being made into a movie). Besides war, I think that
these represent the most plausible of the apocalyptic scenarios on the list.
Maybe we just don't like too much reality in our movies?

And finally, why are aliens always trying
to kill us off and steal our planet?

What do you think of the list?

About Bruce Fottler:

Since exiting a finance career in a world of cubicles, Bruce Fottler has been busy writing novels. His latest is the post-apocalyptic thriller: Paladin's Odyssey.

Bruce grew up in the Chicago suburbs and moved to the Boston area as a young teen. While seeking a career-track that mostly put him behind a desk, he dabbled in creative pursuits such as producing, writing, and directing film shorts. However, it was always writing novels that interested him the most because they aren't limited by production budgets, technical capabilities, or tight shooting schedules.

Bruce has three other published novels: Chasing Redemption (Sci-fi thriller), Dover Park (Mystery), and The Juncture (Time-travel drama).

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

About Something to Read:

Something To Read is exactly one hundred stories to entertain you
whenever and wherever you feel the need. The majority of these stories
are flash fiction of under 1000 words and contain themes as varied as
the authors who wrote them. Stories were contributed for charity from
nearly seventy different authors from at least four different
continents, and contain comedy, tragedy, romance, science fiction,
horror and everything in between. If you have several hours or just five
minutes, there is something here for you.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

The Earth is in ruins. Cities and nations destroyed. Mankind is extinct.

Brant and Arsha are synthetics, machines made in the image of people. They dream of bringing humans back into the world and have the technology to succeed, but the obstacles in their way are mounting.

Not only are their own conflicting ideals creating a rift between them, but now the sinister Marauders are closing in as they seek revenge on Brant. Out in the wasteland, strange lights and mysterious objects in the sky herald the arrival of new factions that seek to control the region.

Even in the once quiet streets of their own city, malevolent forces are beginning to unfurl that threaten the sanctity of everything they hold dear, jeopardising the future that is within their grasp.

Excerpt:

The flashlight was starting to give out. It threw a murky yellow disc across the pavement, enough to accentuate the shadows in the street but little else – a poor excuse for illumination. As I watched, it winked and then went out.

Thumping it in my hand, I tried to jolt it back to life as if hammering on the chest of one whose heart had stopped. It was no use.

The motion of my feet ceased and I listened. Something out there was watching me.

This wasn’t the first time I’d felt it. In the past weeks I’d experienced this same feeling before – an indefinable knowing that I wasn’t alone, that there was some kind of presence nearby and that it observed me, not unlike a hawk watching a mouse in a field. I felt that any minute now it would decide that it had waited long enough, that it had finished toying with me and now the game was over, that there was no more satisfaction for it to derive from this pursuit. It was time to end it, to swoop down with a wordless shriek, to rip and tear at my innards with talons and a wickedly curved beak until the light went out of my eyes.
I fought to push that idea from my mind. Imagination was a dangerous thing at times.

High above, the stars were coming out. The last breath of the day was spent, manifested by a cool breeze that eddied around my ankles and flapped at the folds of my jacket like the hands of an invisible assailant. I pressed my fingers to my chest. The fabric fought to squeeze between them, to cast itself at the mercy of the wind, but as suddenly as the breeze had arrived, it was gone. The fabric went limp and the street quietened as the last wisps receded across the concourse.

This was a city without people. The humans who had built it had perished long ago, and now it was an empty husk where the sound of their voices was but a memory.

I still thought of them often. My creators. I’d outlived them by many years, but still yearned for their return, to hear the reassuring sounds of their feet echoing in these streets again, to hear their voices. After so many years I’d had enough of traipsing this place alone.

But now I wasn’t alone. Something other than me was flitting between the shadows, unseen. I could sense it. And it was anything but reassuring.

I took a few quiet steps along the asphalt. There was a rustling in the gloom that seemed to mimic every movement I made, as if the thing out there was a shadow, masking its own motions in the furtive stirring of my own. A predatory thing that stalked me with great cunning and patience, waiting for the right time to strike.

Marauders? No, it wasn’t them. They would have come at me already by now, brandishing their machetes and screaming promises of violence as they thundered along the street. They would have taken me by force, not by patiently abiding in the darkness.

I hooked my thumbs under the straps at my shoulders and tugged them forward, the weight of the backpack transferring snugly to the curve of my back. With that secure, I ducked into a crouch and moved rapidly to the alleyway nearby, poking my head discreetly around the corner to survey its narrow confines.

Overhead, threadbare cables stretched between apartments and along the walls like cobwebs, disappearing in and out of gaping voids and crisscrossing into the upper reaches of the tenements, where one thick strand dangled vertically, swinging idly back and forth in little oscillations like a hangman’s noose.

Was this place truly hiding secrets from me, or was I just afraid of my own shadow, creating imaginary spectres in order to frighten myself? Tricks of the mind to alleviate the loneliness.

As if in answer I heard a noise down the alleyway, a rasping, drawn-out scrape like a blunt knife being dragged across wood. I shied backward involuntarily, then, edging forward, peered down the alleyway again. There was nothing moving, nothing altered since I had last looked.

I could leave now and be on my way, make my way home while there was still enough light to see, make it to the security of four walls and shelter from the evening chill. That was the safe option, the easy option. It was probably also the prudent choice.
I knew that it would gnaw at me, though, the source of this unknown presence that seemed to monitor my every movement. It would dog me as I fled home, as I lay in the darkness of the house, watching the windows for signs of movement. It would be waiting in the morning when I stepped back into the sunlight and looked out across the city, teasing me.

It would eat me up, knowing that I’d had a chance to unravel the mystery and had failed to take it.

I needed to go after it.

Slinking away from my place of concealment I shuffled down the alleyway. The wind stirred again, ruffling little flaps of garbage at my feet, and I noted that among them were the decaying remains of those who had died in the Winter, their forms now nothing more than mounds of brittle grey bones entangled in scraps of clothing. An undignified kind of resting place, I thought remotely, but one that I had seen all too often in my travels. I had mourned for so many of them over the years, understanding the pain of what they must have gone through, but now was not the time for such sentimentality. I needed to focus.

A wooden doorway appeared on my right, bent and broken inward, within which I could see a staircase leading up into the dimness of the building. I stood and listened. Drifting down the stairwell, I thought I could detect the barest hint of that scratching and rasping I’d heard before, permeating the quiet. Something moving, sneaking about.

I pushed forward, noisily kicking and bashing through the remains of the door, then stopped to listen to determine if the racket had elicited a response from above.

Nothing. All was quiet.

My boots brushed against the steps and I began to ascend. Almost immediately I heard it again – the scraping. It was louder, closer, more defined. I was closing in on it.

With more urgency, I thumped my way up onto the next floor and out into a long, dark hallway. In the gloom I could make out the mottled and cracked form of the walls and ceiling where paint had peeled away, the flakes collecting on the bare floor in chunky strips like an accretion of fallen leaves. Half a dozen doorways lined either side, disappearing at the end of the passageway where it fed into the tenebrous innards of the building.

The noise abruptly stopped.

I clenched my fist involuntarily, unsure of what to do. Was it lying in wait behind one of these doors, its breath stilled, poised to strike should it be cornered? Had it laid a trap somewhere and now patiently waited for me to fall into it? Or had it found itself at a dead end, standing there helplessly as I closed in?

I’d come this far, and I’d never been this close to capturing it, to discovering the nature of it.

Don’t turn back now.

I entered the passageway, the paint chips crackling as they yielded under my boots, my jaw set firmly, my synthetic muscles coiled and ready to respond to whatever might cross my path. I paused at the first doorway, my hand hovering over the knob. I grasped it gently and twisted. It was locked.

Further down I could see that only one of the doors in the passageway was open. Listening at the first door for a moment longer, I heard nothing. I kept going.

Pausing briefly at each entrance, I listened for sounds of movement, for that distinctive scraping noise, but it seemed to have retreated. I could no longer find any trace of it. Had I lost the watcher, or was it still here, having fallen silent?

I reached the open door and looked through, into the room beyond. Inside it was brighter than the hallway, and as I eased across the threshold I saw the dull light from outside spilling in through an open window. The room itself was in tatters, a small bed rotting away in one corner and a filthy, dirt-smeared kitchenette in the other. The darkened recess of a lavatory appeared as I entered further, but it was empty.

I moved across to the window and looked out into the street, the cool evening breeze caressing my face. There was no movement out there. Gripping the windowsill I leaned out more, craning my neck this way and that, but could see nothing aside from the great concrete and steel expanse of the city and the stars above.

As I leaned back inside, my fingertips brushed something sharp, and I looked down. The wooden frame of the windowsill had been splintered and gouged, with four distinct gaps lined out across it like great claw marks. Something had come through here. Something had gone out.

Lifting my hands away and brushing at the splinters of wood that clung to my skin, I realised it had eluded me, stealing off into the night and out of my reach. Whatever purpose it had in mind, whatever its reasons for following me, would remain a mystery for now, for once again it had managed to stay out of my reach.

This game of cat and mouse wouldn’t last forever. There would come a time when it grew tired of waiting. One day soon I’d find it, or it would find me.

Mark R. Healy is an author and musician from Brisbane, Australia. From an early age he loved to create, and often assembled his own illustrated books with accompanying stories - and then forced his parents to buy them.

Unfortunately this model was not scalable and Mark now seeks to promote his works to a wider audience.

Mark has also combined his storytelling prowess with music, creating a project called ‘Hibernal’ through which he interweaves original sci-fi stories with his own music to create an immersive theatrical experience for the listener. Combined with a professional voice cast and sound effects, these “audio movies” are available online through iTunes, Bandcamp and Amazon under the name ‘Hibernal’.

About the Speculative Fiction Showcase

We are a blog about all things indie science fiction, fantasy and horror. Read interviews with and guest posts by spec fic writers and keep current on news from the SFF world and the latest spec-fic releases.